1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods for controlling the behavior of electronic devices, and more particularly, methods and systems for controlling device behavior based on the gaze of one or more users.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic devices are becoming more and more pervasive in everyday life. The feature sets keep growing, offering a wider variety of functions and options for users. As the number of options grows, ease of use becomes more and more important as users try to select and navigate through all the options offered by electronic devices. At times, some of the options are not even available due to the current environmental variables of the device, yet a user may still be presented with a complex tree of menu options. For example, an option in a Global Positioning System (GPS) device allows a user to select between voice navigation assistance (verbal instructions for the driver of a car) or directions on a map shown in a display situated near the driver. However, a user driving on a curvy road at night may have difficulties following a map since the user must focus attention on the road ahead.
Advances in the science of gaze detection allow devices to determine if one or more users and presently looking at a certain target. To improve the usability and configurability of electronic devices, better user interfaces are needed to take into account the state of the device as well as the user situation in order to produce intuitive, easy-to-use interfaces, which improve interactions between man and machine.
It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.